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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from March, 2011
Lebanon: Exploring the Video Artistic Scene, Featuring Ziad Antar
What's happening on the Lebanese art scene? The directors of a web-documentary on this topic are offering some previews in the form of portraits of contemporary artists.
Syria: Reactions to President Assad's Speech
President Bashar Al Assad finally made a speech Wednesday 30 March, 2011, at the Syrian Parliament after days of postponement and anticipation. The president's arrival at the Parliament was met with thundering applause and chanting by the Members of Parliament, and his speech was often interrupted by an MP reciting poems of praise. Twitter users did not receive this well.
Serbia: Gaddafi's Cyber Army Oppose Rebels and NATO
A Facebook page entitled "Support for Muammar al-Gaddafi from the people of Serbia" has become a show of support for the controversial Libyan leader, with over 62,500 members. Libyan opposition activists have also reported cyber attacks on opposition websites coming from Serbia. Sasa Milosevic reports on the online support for Muammar al-Gaddafi in Serbia.
Bahrain: Prominent Blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif Arrested
Shortly after 3am local time, prominent Bahraini blogger Mahmood al-Yousif was arrested in his home. Before leaving with police officers, the blogger tweeted, "The police are here for me." His arrest was confirmed by both his brother and son.
USA: Al Jazeera's Future
Sana of Arab-American blog KABOBfest remarks on a new academic paper that looks at Qatari channel Al Jazeera's future in the United States.
Egypt: Demo to Free Mohamed Radwan
Egyptian blogger The Traveler Within writes about a demonstration in support of journalist Mohamed Radwan, arrested by Syrian security forces.
Morocco: Atlas Mountaineering
The View from Fez shares tips on mountaineering in the High Atlas.
Tunisia: Bloggers Angry at Interim Interior Minister Sacking
Tunisian bloggers are outraged over the sacking of Interim Interior Minister Farhat Rajhi today. In a surprise move, he was replaced by Hbib El-Seed. Netizens are now calling for his return to managing his portfolio in blog posts and on Facebook.
Lebanon: Claim your Parking Spot
Dutch Blogger Sietske asked the Lebanese people in her latest post to claim what's rightfully theirs: “their parking spots.”
Lebanon: Ontornet instead of Internet
Frustrated with the very slow internet connection in Lebanon, a group of Lebanese bloggers started a campaign calling it “Ontornet” (“Ontor” in the Lebanese dialect means “wait”) to do something...
Iran: “I am Comodo hacker”
Iranian hacker claimed responsibility over an attack on Comodo, a Jersey City, N.J.-based company that issues digital SSL certificates used by websites to validate their identity to visitors. The hacker...
Syria: Complexity Behind the Protests
Unrest in Syria enters its second week, as anti-government protests continue in their bid to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Whilst it may seem that the unrest in Syria is a natural progression of the Arab revolution spreading throughout the region, there are unique dynamics in Syria that distinguish it from other Arab states.
Egypt: Inspiring UK Demonstrators?
A demonstrator in London's spending cuts protests on Saturday was seen wearing a T-shirt inspired from the Egyptian revolution. Jaydeepee shares the picture on flickr.
Libya: From the Battlefield of Zintan
Alive in Libya shares with us this video from the battlefield of Zintan.
Egypt: The Egyptians Book
The Egyptians Book is out! It claims to be the new book for new Egypt, set up to help Egyptians “connect and share with the people in your life.”
Syria: Free Muhammed Radwan
Egyptian Chronicles comments on the arrest of Egyptian-American Muhammed Radwan in Syria under espionage charges here. His cousins Nora and Tarek Shalaby also share their thoughts.
Libya: Facebook Group in Support of Eman Al Obeidy
A Facebook group has been formed calling for support for Libyan rape victim Eman Al Obeidy. More on Al Obeidy can be found here.
An Interview with Andy Carvin
With 40,000 Twitter followers and a dedicated stream of local sources, Andy Carvin has become a first stop on Twitter for news throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In this interview with Carvin--an early Global Voices contributor and current NPR strategist--we find out how he uses Twitter to spread the news.
Egypt: Football Before and After the Revolution
In the past years, football (soccer) used to be the main source for joy for the Egyptian people. However it seems that the recent revolution that took place in Egypt has revolutionized all this. The loss of Egypt's national team to South Africa was even cheered by some.
Qatar: A World Cup in the Clouds
A report of a remote-controlled, solar-powered hovering shade, which could be used to cool soccer stadiums in Qatar, has taken on a life of its own, putting the small but wealthy Gulf nation in the spotlight once again. Whether or not these US $500,000 constructs will be gracing the stadia of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar though, remains to be seen.
Libya: Citizen Reporting from the Battlefield
Videos continue to seep out from war-torn Libya as protesters battle Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces in a bid to overthrow his 42-year-old regime. Here is a selection of the latest videos taken by netizens on the frontlines of major cities where the battle for Libya is still fought.
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